As good as it's going to get
by TARDIStraveller
Summary: Modern High school AU. Starting high school is always difficult, especially halfway through the year. Merlin is new to Camelot High and has trouble making friends. Although, a certain someone manages to catch his eye, but she doesn't seem to know he exists, or does she? AN: First fanfic, main pairing Mergana, side pairs may vary. On hiatus.
1. The Line

He shivered and pulled his jacket closer to his skinny form. His shoulders hunched over against the wind. He looked up from under his hood at the looming building in front of him.

High School.

The worst part about this wasn't the fact that he was new. It was that it was halfway into the year, the time when all the new kids had found their cliques and were comfortable. He sighed, and then walked dejectedly towards the double doors that seemed to mark out a line, one that shouldn't be crossed, a line that represented his welcome to Hell.

Upon, climbing up the stairs to the front doors and slowly pushing them open he was assaulted with a blast of warm air from the vent in the ceiling. Shivering he unzipped his jacket and lowered his hood. He took a step forward, over the line, and heard the doors ominously swish closed behind him. He swallowed heavily when he heard the click of the doors in place. There was no going back.

He hesitantly walked down the hallway following the signs pointing him to the office. He down the surrounding halls he passed, the lockers on either side separated by doors to classrooms that were closed, as he was here before it should be acceptable.

_Before time is on time, on time is late._

He could hear his mother constantly tell him, but being an hour early was a bit excessive, even by her standards. But she had to go to work early. He understood. Being a single mother was hard. Especially in these times, but he helped out wen he could. He stopped when he realised he'd reached the offices. He glanced through the little glass panel on the door and noticed there was no one inside. He took a deep breath and pulled the doors open. He glanced around the office, the wooden desk directly in front of the door with a hall leading down the right to the teacher's lounge and offices, a small area on the right with chairs and a coffee table covered in magazines, and the door just past the desk with the sign on it saying "Principal". Knowing that he needed to talk to the principal but standing there in front of that door made his tummy drop to the floor.

_I could run home, right now. No one would know I was here. _

He didn't run though. His feet stayed firmly planted on the threshold of the reception. He inched his right foot forward, over the line, and released a breath when it hadn't been cut off. He had always been rather dramatic. He was prying his left foot from the ground to join his right, when he heard the distinct sound of someone clearing their throat. He jumped away from the sound, to his left and hit the doorway. His eyes looked to his right and found the source. At the end of the hall, having just come out of the teachers lounge was a man of thirty. He worn black dress pants, a white collared shirt with a dark blue tie. His top button was undone and his sleeves had been rolled up to his elbows. He had brown curly hair that ended just above his shoulders. He cleared his throat again, making their eyes connect. The man smiled softly at the boy, realising that he had been surprised. His head titled to the left, trying to recognise him.

"Ah." He said quietly.

The boy shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, his eyes moving back to his feet.

"So," the man started, "you're the new kid, right?"

The boy just nodded not looking up. He heard the man take a few steps closer.

"Hey." He said gently, getting the boys attention, he slowly looked up.

"I'm Leon. Well, I guess you'll be calling me Mr Metts." He smiled at the boy and held out his right hand. The boy, uncertainly, smiled back and shook his hand.

"I'm Merlin. Merlin Emrys."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Merlin. Welcome to Camelot High." He released Merlin's hand and pushed up his left sleeve.

Merlin glanced down then over to the principals' door. Leon caught the glance.

"Oh, you're here to see Mr Pendragon, I presume."

"Yeah." Merlin answered, looking over his shoulder to the door.

"He's in there, right now." Leon said, hinting strongly to Merlin to get it over with.

"I… I don't know." He replied nervously. Leon walked over beside Merlin, putting his left hand on his right shoulder and spinning him so he faced the door. Merlin stumbled over his feet and quickly righted himself. He glared at Leon over his shoulder, who just chuckled. He placed both his hands on Merlin's shoulders and slowly marched him towards the door.

"Best to get it over with, trust me." He whispered as he leant over Merlin's shoulder as he reached out with his right hand to grip the door handle.

Merlin whipped his head up to Leon's his mouth open to argue, when the door was flung open and Leon unceremoniously shoved him into the room. Merlin narrowly missed banging into the visitors chair by grabbing its back and supporting himself. He glanced up to the curious eyes of Mr Pendragon then glared over his shoulder at Leon, who had the gall to wink at him.

"Found this one loitering in the reception, claims to be the new kid." Leon told Mr Pendragon, who arched his left eyebrow, which scarily reminded him of his great Uncle Gaius.

"Did you now?" Mr Pendragon replied, now studying Merlin who was focused on his shoes.

_I should probably get some new ones._ He thought.

"I'll leave you to it." Leon said, grapping the door handle and closing the door as Merlin turned towards his exit to find Leon smiling at him as it shut. The silence in the room was unbearable. Merlin stayed glaring at the door, hoping that Mr Metts could feel his anger through the wood.

He startled when he heard Mr Pendragon clear his throat. He slowly turned around to see his face. He wasn't smiling but Merlin could see a hint of amusement in his eyes. Mr Pendragon said nothing but indicated with his hand for Merlin to sit. Merlin sighed wearily as he moved in front of the chair and plopped down on it with no grace. He closed his eyes and realised that his day would not get any better.

* * *

**AN: Hey guys, this is my first fanfic, so please tell me what you think. I'll try upload the next chapter, next week but I can't promise anything at the moment.**

**I have no idea where this story is going to go but it will be Mergana, with maybe a little Merwen to start off with. But tell me what you think, is it good? ****Is it bad? ****Should I keep going? Was Merlin too shy? Was Leon cool? Am I cool? I really don't care, just don't be shy to hit that little blue button. Maybe I should start these things with a joke, that might get your attention. BUT I BET THIS DID! And now you're wondering why it was in CAPSLOCK, and now you have to read back to find out! Mwahahahaha! I'm a genius!**


	2. The Nonexistent Stampede

Sitting in the chair opposite Mr Pendragon was not doing any good for Merlin's nerves about school. Mr Pendragon wasn't necessarily scary he was just… intimidating.

Merlin sat up straight in his chair, afraid to make it seem like he wasn't paying attention as Mr Pendragon talked about the school, the rules, and his classes. He could hear people arriving through the door and the noise of the school coming to life growing louder as more people arrived for the start of the school day. Merlin had somehow zoned out on what Mr Pendragon was saying and just listened to the sounds of teachers greeting each other and getting ready for the day ahead. He could make out Mr Metts' laugh through the door. His expression darkened for a second thinking of the man who had subjected him to the stare of Mr Pendragon.

"…and if you just go out to the front desk you'll be able to pick up your timetable." Merlin jolted back into the office upon hearing Mr Pendragon rise from his seat. "Hopefully, your buddy student will be waiting for you there. They will show you around the school, to your classes, and so on."

Merlin rose out of his seat and watched Mr Pendragon move over to the door behind him. He turned back to Merlin, seeing that he hadn't moved, just stood in front of the chair and looked at the door.

Mr Pendragon's eyes softened as he noticed the terrified expression in the boys' eyes. He wasn't as bad as the kids thought he was, he just wanted them to become the best they could and if that meant pushing them to their limits then he would. But he knew that coming into school at this time was bound to be hard on anyone. He drew in a breath and saw Merlin meet his eyes; he smiled softly at the boy and opened the door slightly.

"Well, off to learn, Mr Emrys." Merlin blinked at him, nodded to himself and slowly stepped out from the chair, picked up his bag and walked towards the door. Mr Pendragon opened the door wider and indicated for Merlin to exit first.

Upon leaving the office, Merlin looked around the offices and saw a student in one of the chairs for waiting, his feet on the coffee table. He had his earbuds in and was bobbing his head to music no one else could hear. Merlin turned to his left and looked down the hall to see teachers standing by the door to their lounge laughing and drinking coffee, he could just see the inside of the teachers lounge. It seemed particularly busy, with teacher crowding around the kitchenette to get their morning coffee. He saw the men bump shoulders with each other and laugh, the woman looked over shaking their heads at the behaviour reserved for the students.

Mr Pendragon followed Merlin out side the office and watched him take in the busy office. It was always interesting to see how the students reacted to seeing teachers outside of the classroom. He walked past Merlin to the main reception desk. The receptionist, Alice Gimble, an elder woman with long brown hair always done up in a plait over her faded green cardigan, looked up at Mr Pendragon.

"Anything you need?" She asked softly.

"Just leaving Mr Emrys here. If you could gather his timetable and a map of the school, plus anything else you think he'll need." He said then turned to Merlin and clapped him on the shoulder, jarring the boy out of his thoughts. Mr Pendragon then walked off through his office and shut the door. Leaving Merlin to stare at it, he shook his head then turned to the receptionist who was smiling gently at him.

"Welcome to Camelot High, Mr Emrys."

"Call me Merlin," he asked, "Please." He added hurriedly, not wanting to sound disrespectful toward the woman.

"And with manners like those, you can call me Alice." Her smile grew, just as Merlin's did. She turned in her chair and rummaged in a file cabinet behind the desk. She pulled out a few sheets of paper, turned and placed them on the desk beside the computer. She started to tap on the keyboard; she stopped suddenly then looked up at Merlin and smiled again.

"How do you spell your last name, Merlin?" He smiled at the use of his first name.

"E-m-r-y-s." He enunciated clearly for her as she typed his name into the computer. Then hitting a button she turned and stood from her chair, walking the printer beside Mr Pendragon's office. She stood patiently at the printer waiting for the piece of paper. When it had finished the printer gave a little shake and blew the paper over the top the desk. Alice looked over the top and tried to reach over to get it before it fell and landed on to the floor in front of Mr Pendragon's door.

"We definitely have to get that fixed." She muttered to herself. Merlin quickly moved over to the sheet of paper and plucked it off the floor, handing it back to Alice with a humble smile. She pushed the paper back towards Merlin, whose expression changed to one of confusion.

"It's your timetable." She told him sweetly, watching the boy blush. He looked down at his feet and fiddled with the timetable. Alice deciding that there was no need for the boys embarrassment to continue so she moved over to her chair and pulled out another A4 sheet of paper and placed it on top of the desk, motioning for Merlin to join her. He moved over slowly as his blush resided. He looked at her waiting for her to indicate for something more. She placed her hand on the paper.

"Now, this one's a map of the school, in case you get lost or you have s different class than your buddy." She glanced over at the boy with his feet on the table as she said buddy, she frowned in disapproval of the boys carelessness. Merlin quickly glanced down at the map, slowly pulling it out from under Alice's hand, hoping to memorise it so he won't have to walk around the school with it shoved up his nose. He looked at the map, and realised the school was bigger than he thought. He sighed at the prospect of having to carry the map around all day, or probably two judging by the size of the school, maybe the whole week knowing his luck.

"Jason," she called to the boy, standing up to get his attention, "Jason."

No answer. He still had his head down, bobbing to the beat of his music. Merlin looked up at Alice, who smiled apologetically at him and opened her mouth to call out to the boy again.

"If it's alright," Merlin interrupted, "You could just tell me where I need to go for first lesson." He smiled down at the woman as she sat back in her seat, who just nodded and glanced back at the boy, Jason. She then proceed to inform Merlin that he had Classic History first, and that if he left the office turned left, then right down the first hallway he came to his class would be the third door on the right. Merlin nodded, going over the directions in his head.

_Left, right, third door on the right. You've got this, Merlin. Plus if you get lost you could just come back here and talk with Alice._

That thought left him feeling slightly awkward, realising that if he did that his only friend would be the old receptionist. He didn't want to think of what the students would say about him then, as if he wasn't weird enough already. The bell for first lesson rung through the school, and Merlin could hear the kids in the corridors yelling and rushing to their classes. He looked over his shoulder to the door that was the only thing stopping him from being a part of the stampede of teenage bodies. He shuddered at the thought of getting trampled on his first day. He smiled down at Alice who smiled back. He turned and walked to the door, drawing in a deep breath and opening it swiftly. He walked through quickly, getting it over with. He opened his eyes, not realising he had closed them; realising he was still standing and not a gooey mess on the floor. He chuckled to himself at the image of a flattened Merlin.

_Probably wouldn't look any different than I do now. I'm way too skinny._ He thought as he looked around, noting that the corridors were quite empty now that the mad rush to first lesson was over.

But when he realised that everyone would be in class, he knew he would get the stares when he walked in late. He groaned and started walking left, swinging his bag onto his right shoulder as he went. Following the instructions he found himself standing in front of a classroom door, number on whether to knock or just walk in, he stayed rooted to the spot.

He heard the sound of footsteps coming down the route he had just travelled. The person sounded rushed; as they got closer he could hear someone grumbling under their breath. He stepped back from the door and waited for the person to round the corner. To his surprise Mr Metts turned in his direction and walked straight towards him, head bent over the papers he was holding, trying to balance them and his coffee simultaneously. Mr Metts looked up realising he wasn't alone to see Merlin standing uncomfortably outside a classroom door.

"Let guess," he started to smile at Merlin, "Classic history?"

Merlin nodded in reply as Mr Metts started to chuckle.

"Well, best get inside I hear the teacher is a bit of a weirdo." He whispered conspiratorially to Merlin.

Merlin quickly moved to the door, and opened it a fraction, without looking back at Mr Metts. He had always prided himself on his ability to go undetected, which came in handy as he entered the classroom, although that thought diminished when he realised that the only seat available was one in the front row. He moved quietly towards it, keeping his head down. Just as he sat and placed his bag on the floor, the door burst open and Mr Metts walked in, dropped his papers on the desk and took a giant swig of his coffee.

"Alright, settle down you lot." He called to the class. "Who can tell me about what we learnt last week? Let me give you a hint… it was something to do with ancient theatre."

Merlin sat there, staring blankly at Mr Metts, his mouth opened slightly in shock. Mr Metts caught Merlin's looked and winked at him. Merlin snapped his mouth closed and looked down as he blushed.

_Don't ask me. Don't ask me. Please don't ask me. _He repeated the mantra over in his head as Mr Metts glanced around the class looking for some unfortunate to call upon. Sadly, Merlin was looking quite unfortunate today.

* * *

**AN: Second chapter, up much earlier than I expected. This won't happen too often, I was hit with a brain wave today and had to write this down. Plus it's really good procrastination. I'm thinking the next chapter might have Merlin meet Gwen, so she can help him around school.**

**Please tell me what you think. I'm new to writing and would love to hear what you have to say. Do I need to change the characters? Are they good? Am I awesome? Anything.**

**So hit that blue button down there.**


	3. The Mission of a Friend

Merlin let out a deep breath as the bell rang. He'd made it through his first day. He slid down his chair as he deflated. He'd survived. He sat up, realising that the room was empty, even his English teacher had gone. He swept his books off the desk and into his satchel. He swung his bag on his shoulder and walked out of the room. He walked down the hall dodging moving bodies, to his locker. The students were filling the halls, laughing and talking to each other. He sighed as he placed his books in the locker, wishing he had someone to laugh and talk with.

Just as he was putting away his English book someone slammed into his locker door. The door swung around and trapped his hand. He cried out as his hand was crushed.

"Oh god. I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" he heard a female voice ask as the pressure from the door was removed. He gently pulled his hand out assessing the damage. He hissed at the red lines on either side of his hand, slowly turning purple. He held his right hand tenderly as he looked to his left. A dark skinned girl with long, curly brown hair and kind brown eyes was looking at his hand. Guilt was plastering her face.

"I'm okay." He told the girl, trying to wipe the guilt from her face. She glanced up at his and raised her eyebrows, not believing Merlin for a second. He looked down, smiling sheepishly. She reached out for his hand hesitantly. Her brown hands were warm around his pale ones. She gently prodded the forming bruises making Merlin hiss. She hurriedly pulled her arms back to her sides.

"Sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to."

"That's okay, accidents happen." He grinned at her, catching her by surprise. He watched a smile form on her face in reply. Merlin stuck out his hand for her to shake.

"I'm Merlin."

"Gwen." She said reaching out for his, just as she was about to grab it Merlin pulled his hand back and stuck out his left. He awkwardly took her right hand and shook it, twisting his left arm around. Her eyes widened, clearly shocked at his behaviour. Merlin's smile grew larger, crinkling his eyes.

"Don't want to do anymore damage do you?" he whispered as he winked at her. A slight blush formed on her cheeks as she shook her head. He let go of her hand, his right hand resting on his left shoulder, as he closed the locker. Gwen continued to watch him, her head titled to the right trying to make sense of Merlin.

"Your new." She stated simply.

"Started here today." He told her as he hitched his bag up to stop it from falling. She glanced at his hand.

"You should really see the nurse. Not that's your not fine or anything. It's just that, it could be bad. Not like broken or anything, but sprained. Can you sprain your hand? I think you can. It's not like I've tried…" Gwen rambled on, her arms moving with her words. Merlin had to take a step back out of the line of fire. He started to laugh as she kept going. Merlin leant against his locker, trying to keep a straight face as Gwen informed him that she never purposefully hurt herself or anyone else to see if they could sprain their hands. He snorted, catching Gwen's attention. Her blush grew in embarrassment.

"Well, Gwen," he said catching her eye, "it was lovely to meet you, but I should probably get home and inform my mother that I am still alive after my first day. I should also inform her that I gained a friend."

Gwen's laughed, "Do all your friends have to hurt you first? Is that a criteria of yours?"

Merlin's smile faded a little, "Don't have many, so I wouldn't know. But I have you and that is good enough for me."

"Well," she sobered up a little at his confession, "I will make it my mission to get you more friends." She said with a completely straight face it threw Merlin off a little. He was speechless for a few moments until he saw her lips twitch. He tried to bury his smile as he replied.

"Well then, my lady, I hope you succeed in your mission. It is a dangerous task." He raised his head, standing stiffly. She fought the smile from her lips.

"It is my duty as your friend to get you more friends." She said.

"I hope no-one has a sprained hand when I meet them." Gwen's jaw dropped in shock at his accusation, and closed just as quickly. Merlin burst out laughing as she swatted his left arm. She looked at him sternly as he continued to chuckle. Gwen's phone buzzed in her pocket. She plucked it out and quickly glanced at the message, a small smile on her lips.

"Sorry, I have to go." She said as she started to move down the emptying hall, "Join me for lunch tomorrow?"

"Sure!" Merlin called to her as she moved off and out of sight. He smiled to himself. He had a friend he let out a small laugh. His smile stayed on his face as he walked out of Camelot high and waited on the pavement for his mother.

* * *

His mother wasn't happy to see the state of his hand but pulled the first aid kit from the cupboard. Merlin told her about how he had survived the dreaded first day, which earned him a raised eyebrow, and about his new friend. Hunith was extremely happy that Merlin was fitting in.

Merlin and Hunith ate dinner, chatting about school and work, teachers and colleagues. As Merlin lay in his bed, staring out the window, he replayed his first day. Mr Mett's was already his favourite teacher and he could tell that he was on his good side, having blown him away with his answer about Greek theatres. He thought of Gwen and her rambling. She was very sweet, and funny. He had a feeling that they would be great friends.

High school didn't seem so scary now that he had a friend. Merlin fell asleep, for the first time looking forward to school.

* * *

**AN: Merlin met Gwen! Yay! Do you think Gwen is true to her character? They may have progressed quickly to the teasing and joking but I felt that in a high school situation with the right people Gwen would be a little bolder without the Camelot hierarchy. **

**I was wondering, do you guys think Merlin should have magic? I thought it might make things a little cooler, especially with Morgana (who will be introduced shortly). **

**Review. Tell me what you think.**


End file.
